the everyday life of a working artist

When you’re down, you’re more likely to find reasons not to do the important things, things that help your art business. Things like meeting deadlines, responding to emails and reaching our to potential clients. Why? When you’re feeling down, your ability to handle rejection tends to be low as well. Unfortunately, if you allow your spirits to sink, your performance will, too.

​When things are going great, it’s easy to be positive. It's easy to get in to the studio to create more art and you won't have any problems reaching out to clients.

So what can you do when art sales are slow, or when your art business is not shaping into the way that you envisioned it? Your positive attitude is one of the most important assets you have. Today I will share five things you can do to stay positive about your art.

1. Make a list of all of the positives about your art - Take inventory of all the good things that have happened in the past few months. Walk around your studio and look at the beautiful art you have created. Visit your website and notice every “red dot” on your sold page. Write down the challenges you have overcome, and all the successes that you’ve had (even the smallest ones) — and really appreciate them. Give yourself credit!2. Concentrate on the opportunities you still have - So often, we expend all of our energy on negative things that happen. Focusing on the future will keep you from ignoring potentially great opportunities that you might have missed while feeling sorry for yourself.3. Surround yourself with positive people - I am sure you have art friends, so try to support one another in times of despair. Offer positive advice and encouragement — but, most of all, learn to accept it when it’s given to you.4. Picture yourself succeeding again, and your chances of success will increase dramatically. Get into the habit of visualizing your success. Never underestimate the power of creative visualization. Use your imagination to visualize new and better ways to accomplish things.5. Don’t give up. Even the most successful entrepreneurs have experienced setbacks, so you’re not the only one. Have the courage to go on.